Saturday, December 20, 2008

What do carp in a pond has to do with the water? Actually, a lot. Také No Tsuyu has been using city water sourced from Mt. Gassan, which was ideal for brewing sakés.

Unfortunately, the city changed source of water to the detriment of the brewery about 7 years ago. Right around this time, an developer was digging a deep well in the adjoinig property to find onsen hot spring to open up a spa.

Tapping well water can be risky. Depending on the water pressure, the water could slowly reach the surface, or aggressively gush out like a geyser. In this case, the latter took place. Unfortunately for Aisawa-san, he quickly found out that carp were not as fond of the concept of hot spring as us.

Rather than seeking compensation for the now extinct fleet of carp, Aisawa-san asked for the soil data from excavation.

When the water runs through the ground, the different sediment layers behave like a filter. Therefore, understanding how these sediments are layered can help predict the quality of the water. Aisawa-san prefers to use soft water, and he eyed depth of 300m (984').

The photograph is of this water inside the holding tank. Aisawa-san estimates that the water has been resting inside Mt. Gassan for 5,000 years. The inner wall of the holding tank is white, and the aqua color of the water seems unreal. (Color of the photo has not been altered in any way.)

This refreshing yet soft and delicious water is the basis of Také No Tsuyu sakés since 2002.

Také No Tsuyu uses local rice for their sakés. They include, among others, Dewa No Yuki, Miyamanishiki, Kairyo Shinko, Kyo No Hana, Yamadanishiki harvested in Tsuruoka, Dewasansan, and Kamé No O. Aisawa-san studies the protein content of the rice every year, and determine appropriate polishing ratio for each rice. Lack of adequate milling means poor water absorption, making it difficult for koji mold to access protein. On the other hand, polishing too much results in extremely mushy conditions. If rice distintegrates to a point it coats other bits of rice, then koji mold will feast on the outer coat and not reach the protein.竹の露は現地栽培の米を中心に酒造りを行っている。主な種類は出羽の里、美山錦、改良信交、京の華、鶴岡山田錦、出羽燦々、亀の尾。毎年、米の心拍に応じて精米歩合の調整を行う。磨くのが足りなければ給水率が落ちその分、麹菌が心拍に混ざらない恐れがある。磨き過ぎたら澱粉が蕩け、他の米粒に余計なコートを塗る。この場合、麹菌は外側のコートに食いつき、心拍にたどり着かない。

Before polishing, there is a process to unify size. This process is handled by a machine called grader, which acts like a coarse mesh filter. Due to fine harvest, Aisawa-san is using Dewasansan rice that is at least 2.10mm instead of the usual 2.00 mm.精米する前に、グレーダーと呼ばれる回転網を使い、米のサイズを統一される。ちなみに、今年の出羽燦々は素晴らしい粒張で仕上がったため、通常の2.00mmサイズを上まる「A網2.10mmサイズ」で整粒されました。

From this point on, I'll explain the late night work. The timing of my visit coincided with cultivation of koji for daiginjo. This is the daiginjo koji resting.ここからは深夜の作業に関する説明。私が訪れた時は、大吟醸の麹を仕込んでいた。これが麹室で準備されてる麹。

Every one hour and half, brewers mix the koji rice to balance out the temperature and moisture. The box is tapped twice on the left, right, top, then bottom before the rice is spread out evenly. According to Aisawa-san, the one-and-half hour shift coincides with the human sleep cycle. Each shift lasts 2 weeks.毎晩、一時間半おきに蔵人が麹の作業を行う。この作業は、箱を二回左、右、上、下と叩き、麹を平らに整える。麹に快適な温度と湿度を保つ必要な調整である。相沢さんによれば、一時間半の作業は人間の睡眠パターンに合う。蔵人は2週間おきに交代しながら作業を続ける。

I gave this a try, but it was more difficult than it seemed. Aisawa-san's advice was to imagine "Karesansui," which is a formation of the Zen rock garden.

私も挑戦してみたが、意外と難しい。相沢さんは「KCさん、枯山水を思い浮かべて下さい」とアドバイスを与えてくれた。

Does this remind you of the rock garden?枯山水に似てますか?

At Také No Tsuyu, saké is brewed in a clean environment by brewers dedicated to their craft. In a way, I got to witness the old Japanese spirit in the form of their careful craftmanship and determination. As a Japanese, nothing makes me more proud than to see the old Japanese spirit and tradition kept alive by these craftsmen.

Anytime I enjoy Také No Tsuyu sakés, I can fully appreciate the water, rice, and people (Japanese spirit) of Yamagata. What more can I ask?

Sunday, December 14, 2008

After a nice morning dip in the onsen hot spring, I was on my way to Akita Station to board Shinkansen. On my agenda today is visiting Také No Tsuyu Brewery, located in Haguro Village in the city of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture. Welcoming me at Tsuruoka Station was Aisawa-san.

First thing we did after arriving at the brewery was to go out for lunch. Aisawa-san chose a local restaurant located amidst rice paddies, known for their hand-made soba. "Yama No Sobaya" specializes in thick and coarse "inaka-style" soba. We ordered the hot version, with its generous topping of roast pork and fried tofu. The combination of flavorful soup and firm texture of the soba was simply out of this world.蔵元に到着したら真っ先にランチ。相沢さんのお勧めは田んぼに囲まれた「山の蕎麦屋」で田舎蕎麦。蕎麦は自家栽培で、ジューシーなチャーシューと油揚げ付き。味が確りした蕎麦汁と蕎麦の歯ごたえが最高。

Mr. and Mrs. Aisawa in front of the entrance to the brewery.相沢夫婦と蔵の前で記念写真。

My first impression about Také No Tsuyu is extremely clean. That is not to say that other breweries are filthy, but at Také No Tsuyu, nothing seemed out of place.蔵の印象と言えば、清潔感が溢れる。これは決して他の蔵が不潔と言う事では無く、竹の露の全てがキッチリされているからだ。

The first place Aisawa-san showed me was the tank where they keep well water. (The next entry will be dedicated to the water and rice of Také No Tsuyu.) Needless to say, Aisawa-san takes great pride in his water.蔵の見学は水の説明から始まった。これが井戸水の貯蔵タンク。(次のポストは竹の露の水・米の詳しい説明。)相沢さんの話を聞くと、「水は命」の意味が十分解る。

This machine steams then cools the rice.米を蒸してから冷やすマシーン。

Tank for the yeast starter. The aroma is quite something.酒母タンク。酒母の香りも最高。

Nestled in the back of the brewery are fermentation tanks.蔵の置くには仕込みのタンクが。

Right outside this room is a bamboo forest that inspired the name of the brewery (loosely translated as, "Bamboo Dew.") The shade offered by bamboo forest and cool draft descending Mt. Gassan provide ideal environment for aging and storing saké, even over the summer.仕込みタンク部屋を囲んでいるのは蔵の名前の由来になる竹林。竹林の木陰と月山おろしが夏でも醗酵・貯蔵に快適な環境を作ってくれる。

This machine manages cultivation of koji mold. Their data management is very meticulous.これは純米酒用の麹を管理する機械。竹の露ではデータの管理も徹底している。

Daiginjo-grade koji mold is manually managed by brewers in koji room in the 2nd floor.大吟醸用の麹は2階の麹室で。勿論、職人の手作業。

After the tour, I went to onsen hot spring, then Aisawa-san took us for sushi dinner. Také No Tsuyu sakés went exceptionally well with the finely prepared sashimi by the sushi master of Happo Sushi. As we came straight from the hot springs, we don't have pictures for obvious reasons. After returning to brewery, we prepared for some evening work. Of course, preparation involved indulging in Hakuro Suishu sakés...見学の後は先ず温泉。入浴後は和服へ着替えて、すし屋へ向かった。「八方すし」はマスターが繊細な腕を披露し、刺身と「竹の露」のお酒は最高のペアリング。温泉から直接向かったので、残念だが写真は無い。蔵に戻ったら、夜の作業の準備。その意味は「はくろすいしゅを」を飲むことであった...